Throwback cos it's nearly Thursday - my favourite coasters

When I was young, we had a lot of interesting things at home. My Dad was a collector of unique showpieces and display/household items. He also had an extensive crystal collection. Since I wasn't allowed to touch the breakable stuff like his precious crystal / porcelain collection, I felt free to toy with what was in regular use. Like a couple of coasters.
They were round and light-hearted in design and caption. I remember two of them specifically. One had a :-) Smiley face. The caption was SMILE. IT MAKES PEOPLE WONDER WHAT YOU'RE UP TO.
I caught on to that right away and enjoyed doing it right through my teens (not on purpose perhaps). Whenever i smiled, people did ask why i was smiling, or became uncomfortable. That was fun.
The other coaster I recall, had this caption with a bull caricature: "I'm a bit of a bullshitter myself, but 'YOU' go ahead, I'm listening." For the longest time, I didn't understand what it meant. I didn't know what bullshit meant, didn't dare ask anyone, & it just didn't strike me to check the dictionary I guess. But the then-forbidden word 'shit' in it made it a fun coaster for me, which I enjoyed setting out on the table whenever we had company.

SHE did it!

She met him. She fell in love with him; and he with her. She wanted to spend time with him. He did too. They were in a romantic relationship. After some time, he began pulling away. She began pursuing him. He resisted. She persisted. They tried to work it out. She tried different tactics to save the relationship. He began slipping away despite that. She was torn to bits. He wouldn’t give in to her advances. He had fallen out of love with her. She asked. He denied. She begged and pleaded. He wouldn’t agree to continue their relationship. She became passive-aggressive. And then she became needy. It didn’t feel right to him. She appealed to his sympathetic side. He rejected those appeals. She wanted him. He didn’t want her.

She didn’t want to live without him. He withdrew completely. He couldn’t handle her any more. He couldn’t tolerate her tears, persuasion, anger, threats. She followed him around, showing up at his place of work, his residence, his vehicle; his usual jaunts. He became allergic to the sight and mention of her. She became increasingly desperate but was unable to let him go. She was frustrated by his rejection. How could he have loved her so much at first and then turned away so coldly and so finally? She could not accept it. She contemplated being more forceful in her methods so that he could get her message loud and clear -- that she was not going to leave him and that he owed her their relationship.

But then, nothing worked.

He would now have to pay for what he had done to her. Her broken heart had a high price. She considered disfiguring him, but that would require much strategic scheming. So she made up her mind. She knew his whereabouts right through the day having painstakingly stalked him for many days. She kept her weapon ready in her bag and prowled along his route hoping to catch him and make him pay for the pain he had caused her.

She did it!

The media erupted at this incident. The men came all out on their twitter handles and facebook pages condemning not just her and this incident, but they attacked all women with vicious words. They broadcasted their hatred for feminism and bashed all feminists. They alleged that this was what feminism was about. So why should feminists have voices? Why should they get any platform to speak and be heard? Why should they even be tolerated in society? These men targeted each and every feminist they knew and let loose abusive comments. They flirted with restraining orders and police action in their efforts to validate their points against feminism.

They snarled that in the name of feminism, women were getting away with even murder! These men raged and ranted against womenkind. This woman should now be punished in the harshest way possible so that all women learn their lessons and cannot ever, get away with stalking their lovers.

When a man says no, he means no! A man’s personal space is sacrosanct. Every gathering, every tea stall, every news channel gave voice for anguished men to vent their grief. Every small and big injustice by women against men was discussed.

PS - Pained Script. 

Live in Peace, all you pained, disfigured, once-physically-beautiful ladies. The acid splashed on you by those vile men destroyed the life you were used to and you had to then reconcile to a new existence filled with coping mechanisms.

Rest in Peace, all you slayed women. The men who did you in could not take your NO for an answer. For, those villains did not even mean to ask you what you wanted. They just meant to grab and keep what they wanted and when they found they couldn’t do that, they showed their scant regard for the human in womanhood.